Fernham (VC22)

I ran a couple of lights to the west of Fernham last night in the hope of recording migrants, however it was far too chilly to be a decent night. 23 species were recorded by the time I packed up at 22:30, including a new site record of Pimpinel Pug (Eupithecia pimpinellata). Larvae of this species have been found by Martin Corley just 3 miles away, on the Uffington White Horse Hill .

Rustic/Dart ID?

Hmm, I had this moth in my trap at Beenham Berkshire this weekend and can't quite make up my mind. I guess that its probably just a very lightly marked Square-spot Rustic but did wonder if it was a light Garden Dart. I must admit that it's not very similar to a Garden Dart that I had a few years ago - also attached below for comparison. Anyone any thoughts.

Thanks, Derek

Deep-brown Dart and Black Rustic

These two species can cause some confusion so I've taken a male example of each from my garden trap last night and photographed them together below:

Black Rustic (top) & Deep-brown Dart (bottom)

As you can see, even lightening the picture considerably in Photoshop as I've done here, there isn't all that much difference in the basic ground colour, especially on a dull morning as it was today.  Black Rustic is larger than Deep-brown Dart but that is not too helpful when you don't have both side-by-side.  Black Rustic is usually fairly glossy in appearance and has a conspicuous white edging to the reniform stigma (kidney mark) which is always obvious in fresh specimens but be aware that it can fade or disappear with age.  The easiest way to tell males apart is by their antennae because to the naked eye those on Deep-brown Dart are quite strongly feathered for the first two-thirds of their length whereas those of Black Rustic are not - this difference is very clear in the photo above.  So, if you're not sure which of the two you have, prod the moth into life and look at its antennae (the chances are that you'll have a male).

Deep-brown Dart, 14th September

Dave Wilton

Dark specimen

Up here on a very windy hill I had my first Lunar Underwing last night along with a Dark Sword-grass in a much reduced catch. This very dark specimen FW18-20mm was included and I think it is possibly a Flounced Rustic - any thoughts?.

Steve Lockey (Garsington)


                                                                     

Treble trouble

Things have settled down to a fairly autumnal pattern in Wolvercote, Oxon, mainly involving lots of Large Yellow Underwings and Square-spot Rustics. The individual below, however, was lurking outside the trap this morning and is clearly either Treble-bar or Lesser Treble-bar: my instinct says the latter, as it's a little small (about 18mm) and the angles on the basal cross-band look right. Does that look right, or is this one which would need dissection to be entirely sure?

Steve and Xander Goddard

Treble-bar of some description, 13/9/15

Clay or White-point?

Hi - my first time posting.

I struggle between the two species above and last nights example in Longwick (Bucks) is no exception! Going by Lewington I would say Clay but looking at images of White-point on line some look a lot like this individual. I would appreciate everyone's thoughts.

On a separate note the Clepsis Dumicolana colony in Longwick has had a second brood. Although smaller numbers 3 or 4 can still be seen flying in sunshine around the Ivy.

Help please

I'm almost reluctant to make a stab at ID after recent performance but what the heck? the only thing that I can find remotely similar is Lunar Underwing but it is so different to the other two in the trap I am having doubts.

Turnip Moths?

I can't think of anything else it might be but this one seems paler, smaller and broader than the ones I normally see.

The second one I think is  Euzophera pinguis?

Not much else, but I noticed a nice Frosted Orange in herbage a few feet from the trap.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Moth Night at COAM

A BIG trip - with Messrs. Albertini, Fletcher and King - to Chiltern Open Air Museum for National Moth Night last night failed to find any migrant species at all; it was 4-5 degrees colder than the previous night around these parts; the sky was clear right up until pack-up time and there was virtually no wind to blow anything in.

There were a few new species as far as my year list is concerned; Centre-barred Sallow, Acleris emargana, Lunar Underwing, Dusky Thorn, Brindled Green and Old Lady, plus Cryptoblabes bistrigia - which I now find was a lifer for me.

There were a few leaf mines taken away for later id, which will probably add to the list, although I at least have a Stigmella aceris mine.

Dave Morris

Re: Vestals

Further to Darren Seaman's post below, I would have said no reports locally but by co-incidence the chap below was the only thing of interest in last night's garden trap here at Westcott, Bucks.

Vestal, 12th September

As Darren suggests, there was a huge fall of Vestals in East Anglia a couple of weeks ago but in more central counties we haven't, as yet, seen very much of them.  Easterly winds might make a difference and I see that Great Brocade (found in Scotland but those which reach southern England are generally considered to be migrants from northern Europe) is starting to be reported now.

Dave Wilton

Odd Red Underwing

How common are Red Underwings without the red? Wing paterns also a bit odd but that is presumably down to wear. Or is there something I am missing and it's not a RU at all?

Vestals

Has anyone had any Vestals? I've just been on my hols in Suffolk, walking around between kessingland and Minsmere. While walking the cliffs near benacre nearly every step I was disturbing Vestals. Probably in excess of 100 in a mile stretch, unbelievable. Also a few around minsmere too. Wish now I'd collected some for a group photo.
Back home in MK I had my first and earliest Lunar Underwing last night and new for year cacoecimorpha pronubana.

Darren Seaman, Milton Keynes.

Colourful bits and pieces

While out surveying for Brown Hairstreak butterfly eggs to the west of Long Crendon, Bucks on 7th September I found this 10mm Vapourer caterpillar on blackthorn.  I'm convinced that the moth has two generations because this is not the first time I've found half-grown larvae during September and I have records of the adult moth all the way through from the third week of June to the end of October.

Vapourer caterpillar, 7th September

I had a smart red specimen of Centre-barred Sallow to the garden trap here at Westcott, Bucks on 8th September.  I've seen this form once previously, back in September 2010 at Pilch Fields near Great Horwood in Bucks, and it was then considered sufficiently unusual to be worthy of a Note in the Entomologist's Record (Ent. Rec. 123: 52).

Centre-barred Sallow, 8th September

A visit to the National Trust's Ashridge Estate, Bucks with Andy King on 9th September produced few moths overall but we did get double-digit counts of our two target species, Autumnal Rustic and Hedge Rustic.  Amongst the 18 Autumnal Rustics caught was the smart specimen illustrated below:

Autumnal Rustic, 9th September

Dave Wilton
 

Hornet vs. Moth

When out checking my wine ropes last night, the most exciting thing that we saw was certainly this deadly encounter between a hornet and a yellow underwing - when we shone our torches on the two insects gorging themselves on sugary wine, the hornet realised the opportunity for a meal and attacked the moth, before buzzing around with the thorax ripped out. A grim end for the moth, but an impressive spectacle!!! (see video)

For better quality video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv_SGZekm1w

Moth Night puzzles

May I ask for help with these arrivals from the second night of National Moth Night?

I am guessing that the one above is a Clouded Drab and the two below both Common Wainscots, albeit strikingly different in colour.  Advice much appreciated as ever. Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Some help please!

1. This is the first moth I struggled with whose colours may be too worn out to identify.

2. This macro seems to have a distinctive brown cross line with no kinks, but I can't find it in my macro book.

3. This I think is a yellow shell (Camptogramma bilineata bilineata) but I'm not certain because of how it is holding its wings.

4. This I'm certain is an Angle Shades (Phlogothora meticulosa) but the colours seem very pale - and no olive colour - is this normal?

5. Unfortunately, this moth just would not stop flapping so I couldn't get a still photo but I captured a couple of (rather poor) areal shots - I think it looks like a heath rustic (Xestia agathina agathina), but I don't live near any heath or moorland, its usual habitat. Is it another species, or just a long way from home?

6. Lastly, this hawk moth larvae appeared on a tree trunk, which looks remarkably similar to a lime hawk moth larvae, but without the pale green and red slashings - what is it?

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

My Hummingbird Hawk-moth pupa finally hatched into a fine female specimen on the 7th September, reared from a larva found at Grangelands by my wife in August. I also saw another specimen at work in Aston clinton on the 9th, so quite a few around this year. Dave Maunder

Hummingbird Hawk-moth, 7-9-2015

More help please

Found these two amongst the hordes of LYU's. First looks like Rosy Rustic and second looks a bit like Gothic but can't be at this time of year - unless you know different?

Confirmation please

These two trapped last night together with 33 LYU and a few other odds. The first looks like a Dotted Clay but as I haven't caught one on my garden before I thought I had better check. The second looks like a Marbled beauty but slightly different to others I have had.

Surprises

There were two surprises yesterday, a Small Mottled Willow in the trap, which is a first for me, and a Hoary Footman on a window in the evening, which is over a month later than my previous latest.

Dave Ferguson, Beaconsfield